Houston man dies in hunting accident

BIG CREEK – A dropped pistol claimed the life of a 24-year-old Houston man Saturday morning west of Big Creek in Calhoun County.
Martin Chance Alford was pronounced dead at the scene by local authorities about 11 a.m. Saturday. Alford was with a group of hunters from Calhoun and Chickasaw County that had been hunting hogs.
The death has been ruled a hunting accident.
“They were finishing up their hunt and had come back to the boat dock and they were putting things up,” said Calhoun County Sheriff Billy Mac Gore. “The gun fell from its holster and apparently landed on the hammer. It was an older model .357-cal. pistol and discharged when it hit the ground.”
Alford was struck in the back of the head.
“We interviewed about a half-dozen people and we feel like our investigation is complete at this pint,” Gore said. “It was a tragic accident.”
Alford was a member of Faith Baptist Church in Pittsboro. He was also a volunteer fireman with the Thorn Volunteer Fire Department.
Services were at 2 p.m. Monday at Faith Baptist Church in Pittsboro.
Alford was the second young man to die in a local hunting accident this season.
Columbus resident Spencer Perkins, 17, died in September after he accidentally shot himself while dove hunting on family owned property near Brooksville.